Can you visit Australia while your first subclass 462 visa is pending?

You must be outside Australia both when you lodge your first Work and Holiday visa application (subclass 462) and when Home Affairs decides it. If you lodge overseas and later enter on a valid Visitor visa, Home Affairs cannot grant your first 462 while you are in Australia. You must leave before it can be granted. Your departure date does not set a decision deadline.

If the ballot notice arrives while you are in Australia

The first-visa ballot applies to eligible passport holders from China, India and Vietnam. Home Affairs gives selected applicants 28 calendar days after notification to apply, with the cutoff based on Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Check the actual expiry date on your notice and in ImmiAccount.

If you are already in Australia, compare your planned departure with that date before lodging. For example, if a family visit ends after the deadline, check whether you can leave earlier and allow time for flight changes and the remaining paperwork. When you submit the application, declare your actual location.

If you lodged offshore and want to make a short visit

Check which visa you would travel on, its entry and stay conditions and your planned departure date. A Visitor visa does not allow you to work, even while you wait for a decision on a visa that would allow work. A pending 462 application also does not change the offshore decision requirement.

Suppose you plan to attend a graduation and leave after five days. Check that you can enter for that purpose, keep your departure arrangements clear and continue monitoring ImmiAccount. If the trip becomes longer, factor the offshore requirement into the new dates. Respond to any Home Affairs request about your location or supporting documents by the deadline stated in the notice.

Before paying for a ticket or confirming a start date with an employer, put the ballot expiry date, expected travel dates and application status on one timeline. Once you receive a grant notice, check the first-entry details and applicable work conditions. If you ask Premiervisa Group to review your timeline, have the notice, current visa details and itinerary ready.

Policy checked on 6 November 2026. See Home Affairs first subclass 462 visa, travel during visa processing and first-visa ballot deadlines. For your document checklist, see the education and Functional English guide.